Newport's Crime
by Noa-Pearl
Summary: Catherine and Vartann are sent to Newport Beach, Orange County, where they are going undercover to solve a case that includes both murder and financial crimes. They end up living next to the daughter of their prime suspect, Kirsten Cohen. More inside..
1. Prologue

**Newport's Crime.**

_Note: I don't know how many of you actually visit the profiles from the writers you like, but for those who do, you must've noticed my story idea a while back that included the characters of my two favorite shows, The O.C and CSI. I've finally been able to put that idea into an actual story. I'm super busy with school right now and -as usual- have a couple of other stories I'm writing for, but I really wanted to get this one out in the world. __I hope you'll like this idea and this story, so please let me know what you think of it! Enjoy, xx._

_Summary: Catherine and Vartann are sent to Newport Beach, Orange County, where they are going undercover to solve a case that includes both murder and financial crimes. They end up living next to the daughter of their prime suspect, Kirsten Cohen. Catherine finds herself interested in Kirsten's husband Sandy, while Vartann can't help but notice the pretty Kirsten. The sparks that are forming between Catherine and Vartann aren't helping either. Will Catherine and Vartann be able to solve their case without jeopardizing themselves and the people they start to like?_

_Spoilers: Set somewhere in CSI's season 10, before Catherine and Vartann's relationship, and in The O.C's first season._

**Prologue.**

Lou Vartann was surprised when he noticed his partner, Catherine Willows, was sleeping in the seat next to him. He had to admit that she looked pretty cute while she was asleep, but then again, he'd always found Catherine a very attractive woman. The strawberry blonde had been the favorite female subject of Lou and his male co-workers. It felt somewhat strange to be on his way to the coast of California with a woman he barely knew. He wasn't complaining though; Catherine was very good company, and very nice to look at as well.

What scared Lou though was the fact that both of them weren't aware of what they were supposed to expect. They had been called in to Conrad Ecklie's office two weeks ago, who'd told them about a case in Las Vegas that had to do with one of the few casinos in Las Vegas that wasn't related to Catherine's deceased father, Sam Braun. A man had been killed, and the dayshift of the Las Vegas Police Department had found out that the dead mad had won ten million dollars in the casino the night of his death. Another man had lost that amount of money. The dead man's money had been gone though, and since that night, the FBI had been certain about one thing; the opponent of the dead man had taken the ten million dollars. That man lived in Newport Beach, but instead of arresting him, the FBI had decided to keep an eye on the man for a little longer, since they suspected that he'd done more things than killing a man. The FBI had decided to put a detective and a investigator on the case, and Ecklie had told them that they had been the lucky two that were chosen to head to Newport Beach, and keep an eye on the man the FBI was looking after. That man was named Caleb Nichol.

Lou and Catherine were supposed to live in a house in Newport Beach. They weren't named Lou Vartann and Catherine Willows though. In Newport, they were Lou and Catherine Anderson, a married, forty-something couple that had just sold their own company. They'd made a huge amount of money out of it, and had decided to move to the relaxing coast of California.

That was the story they had to tell the people they would meet. While mingling with the people in Newport, their main goal was to keep an eye on Caleb Nichol and find out if there were any other illegal things in which Caleb Nichol was involved.

Lou was intrigued by the case he had to solve, and, most of all, he was intrigued by the fact that he had Catherine by his side. Her head was currently resting on his shoulder, something that would usually annoy him, but didn't bother him now that it was Catherine. Catherine was an interesting woman, with who he had been working for several years now. He'd never had the chance to talk with her outside of work though, something he regretted. Lou was curious to see what would happen between the two of them now that they would be together twenty four hours a day.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Catherine move. Lou turned his head into Catherine's direction, and was surprised when his eyes met the beautiful blue eyes of Catherine Willows.

Catherine Willows didn't feel ashamed very often. But she did feel somewhat embarrassed when she found out she'd been sleeping on Lou Vartann's shoulder. Detective Vartann was a very handsome man. With a very gorgeous face. And to know that she might have been drooling on his shoulder made her feel quite embarrassed. She lifted her head immediately, and murmured: "I'm sorry I fell asleep on your shoulder."

Lou smiled, and Catherine just hoped he wouldn't notice her embarrassment. He answered: "Don't worry, it didn't bother me. You woke up at a good time though; were almost there."

Catherine nodded while she pulled her hair together in a messy ponytail. She casted a short glance at Lou's clothes. She hadn't seen him in anything other than a suit until now, and Catherine had to admit that a pair of jeans and a t-shirt suited him very well. A small smile appeared on her face when she realized that she would be together with Lou in one house for at least two weeks. She secretly looked forward to it; knowing that she would be able to look at Lou every day was a pretty nice bonus on her job. Lou ended their silence when he said: "So, what do you expect of Newport Beach?"

His eyes met with Catherine's and Catherine smiled at him when she said: "I'm not sure what I expect. Sun, sea, beach… Snobby rich people."

Lou chuckled at Catherine's last comment before she continued. "I honestly don't know. I guess I'll let Newport surprise me. You?"

Lou shrugged and said: "The same, I guess. I've never been to this side of California before."

Catherine smiled. "Me neither."

Their conversation was interrupted when their flight attendant announced that they were about to land at LAX. Catherine and Lou fastened their seatbelts, both anxious to find out how life in Newport Beach would be.


	2. Welcome to the OC, Bitch!

_Note: Hi all! I'm honestly so surprised with the reviews I got, I completely figured I wouldn't get any because of the odd combi and it makes me so excited, haha! I've been ill for a couple of days now so I barely had time to write, but this one was almost finished so I decided to give it to y'all 'cause I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you lovely readers and reviewers! Awesome :) . Please enjoy! xx._

**Chapter 1 – Welcome to the O.C, bitch!**

"You noticed the car on the driveway of Jimmy's old place?" Kirsten Cohen handed her husband a cup of coffee while they both sat down at their kitchen table. The blonde woman had just returned from doing the groceries, and had been surprised to see a car on their neighbor's driveway. It had been the old house of Julie Cooper –now Nichol,- and Jimmy Cooper, her old boyfriend and one of her best friends. Her husband, an attractive, dark-haired, blue-eyed man sat down next to her and said: "Yeah, I did. I wonder what kind of people are moving in… As long as she ain't a Newpsie I'm sure I'll survive."

Sandy Cohen knew the look his wife gave him. She usually gave him that look when he said something bad about Kirsten's female friends in Newport, to whom he usually referred as Newpsies. Sandy wasn't a big fan of most people that were living in Newport. Most of them were snobs. Sandy grew up in an environment that was far from the ideal life he now seemed to live in Newport, though that life was far from ideal as well. But he had Kirsten. He had his son, Seth. And he had Ryan, who felt as a son to him a Kirsten as well. Sandy and Kirsten were Ryan's legal guardians and when Sandy had met Ryan, he'd seen himself. Ryan was a poor, homeless guy who hung out with the wrong crowd and had an alcoholic mother. Sandy's thoughts were wandering off to Ryan, but Kirsten was still glaring at him, not appreciating his comment about her friends.

Kirsten felt Sandy's hand around her waist and then felt his lips on her forehead before he said: "I'm sorry honey, I couldn't help myself."

"I know you can't." Kirsten couldn't help but smile. She knew Sandy hated the stereotype Newport Beach woman. And to be honest, Kirsten herself would enjoy to have neighbors that weren't like everyone else in town. "Maybe we should go over, introduce ourselves."

"Let's do that this afternoon. I have to go to the office to take care of some things, but I'll be home before five."

Kirsten nodded, and saw Sandy drink his coffee in a couple of big gulps before he kissed her lightly on her lips and walked away. Kirsten looked after her handsome husband, knowing his promise of being home before five was one he made every day. Lately, that promise had started to mean nothing. Coming home around eight was becoming more of a standard lately.

* * *

><p>"So, this is it, huh?" Lou looked at Catherine before he looked around the huge house again, admiring every detail of the beautiful mansion. He knew Catherine was looking at the interior the same way. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"<p>

"Yeah… Nothing like my house back in Vegas though." They both chuckled as they looked around. "Cath.. You wanna go see the beach?" "Love to. We can get some groceries as well, the fridge is far from filled." They chuckled and Catherine grabbed her purse before they left the huge mansion that was now theirs. On their way out, they almost ran into two guys, standing in front of the house next to them. Catherine smiled at them as Lou greeted them, and when Lou was sure the guys couldn't hear him anymore he said: "They were so checking you out, unbelievable."

Catherine chuckled. "Am I that awful to look at?"

Lou's cheeks turned into a bright red as he said: "No… No, I didn't mean that at all. I'm sorry. It's just that…. You know, their, like… Eighteen."

Catherine's chuckles had now turned into pure laughter as she answered: "It's okay Lou, I was just kidding. But you're kinda cute when you're embarrassed."

"Dude, did you see her?" Seventeen year old Seth Cohen nudged his friend Ryan Atwood as they both stared at the woman that had just passed them. "Yeah… New neighbors." "I wasn't talking about that.. She was hot. We have a hot neighbor." Ryan raised his eyebrow as he heard Seth utter those words.

"Come on. We should go, we're going to be late otherwise."

Lou and Catherine walked along the beach barefooted, shivering every now and then when the water touched their feet. "So nice to smell the ocean again… It's been years."

"I'm embarrassed to say I've never known what that's like. Well, on this side then. I've been on the east coast before, never here though. Silly, isn't it, when you're living in Las Vegas?"

Catherine shrugged. "Time flies… You just don't always get to do everything you want, right? But look on the bright side; you're here now."

Lou smiled at the radiant redhead in front of him, who was obviously loving the beach and thrilled to be there. She was such a beautiful woman and it honestly surprised him how easy she was to talk to. She had the entire package, was everything a man could dream of. He didn't have any more time to think about her as he heard her talk again.

"I wonder what Caleb Nichol's like… According to everything in our database, he's rich as hell.. Why would he kill that guy, it doesn't make any sense."

Their eyes met for a brief moment and Lou felt an electric shock in his stomach when he met her blue eyes. "I honestly don't know… But, so far, this town seems small… And I'm sure there's a lot of gossip going on here. We'll.. We'll just have to mingle, act our best."

A small chuckle escaped from Catherine's lips. "That will be fun. I hope… As long as those women here are not as snobby as I think they'll be, I'll be good."

Forty five minutes later, the couple was back in their house again, knowing they had to start unpacking the very few true personal belongings they had brought. As they moved their stuff from the boxes to their closets and finally went up to the bedroom, Lou spotted a first problem. "Cath? Hey, Cath?" "What?" Holding a box that was obviously a bit too heavy for her, Catherine came stumbling into the bedroom. Lou quickly rushed over to take over the box, earning him a thankful smile from Catherine as she said: "Thanks. That was heavy. So, what's up?"

Lou carefully put the box down as he said: "Well, since we're supposed to be married… There's only a double bed. I haven't seen another bed in this entire house yet, which seems odd since this house is huge but, well, yeah… I… I'll sleep on the couch I guess, I don't want to make this more uncomfortable then it already is."

"No, don't be stupid Lou. We can share the bed just fine." Catherine looked at the detective in front of her, who seemed slightly nervous. It made her smile a little bit on the inside. She was quite keen on the detective; she'd always been. In the beginning because he was just more than a little handsome, and after spending a day with him, she'd already started to like his character as well. "There's no way I'm going to let you sleep on the couch, it will kill your back!"

"Hey!" Lou playfully hit her shoulder as he said: "I'm a young God, Catherine Willows. My back can handle a couch just fine."

"Okay, well, still, I think you should stay in bed. We can build a wall of pillows if you insist. We'll talk about it later though, come, we should unpack the rest and get some groceries!"

He looked after her with a smile. Flirting with her was so easy, it seemed natural. And Lou had a feeling that idea was mutual.

It was almost six in the afternoon when Catherine realized they still hadn't gone over to buy some food. Lou insisted on ordering something, and as Catherine was about to argue that the doorbell rang. "Someone told you they were coming, Lou?"

"No."

He followed Catherine to the door as she opened it, surprised to find a pretty blonde in front of it. Not too tall, slim, beautiful eyes and gorgeous skin. Perhaps a little older then herself, Catherine thought. Or at least she secretly hoped. "Hi." Lou's head popped up next to Catherine and he also smiled to the lovely woman in front of him. "Hi. I'm sorry to just ring the doorbell like that, I just noticed you moving in together. I live next door, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Kirsten Cohen."


	3. Breakwater

_Note: Helloo guys, thanks a lot for all the nice reviews! So nice to read them! Sorry for taking so long for updating, I'm so busy with school, so, well, that's what the delay is about. Hope to make it a little better with this chapter though ;). And for those who haven't seen The OC; I really recommend it. It's such an incredible show and I think it's by far my favorite tv show ever. With CSI being a very, very close second. Please enjoy this chapter! xx._**  
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**Chapter 2 **

So, this was Kirsten Cohen, Lou thought to himself. The daughter of the man they were supposed to keep an eye on, Caleb Nichol. Would she have anything to do with the nasty business her father was involved with? She didn't look like someone who liked to deceive. She seemed… Nice. Very pretty. Big blue eyes. Not as blue as Catherine's, but still.

"Hi! I'm Catherine, and this is Lou, my husband."

Lou gave his hand to the woman. "Nice to meet you, Kirsten."

"I just wanted to say hi. My husband's not home yet, but I just wanted to let you guys know that if there's anything I can help you with you can always come to our place, we'd love to help you guys out."

"That is so nice of you," Catherine said, "I appreciate that very much."

"And so do I, of course."

Catherine felt herself blush slightly after his comment, knowing she would have to get used to saying 'we' sometimes instead of 'I'. Kirsten smiled at the couple. "Well, you know where to find me. Good luck with the moving."

"Thanks!"

Kirsten walked away after the short conversation, enlightened with the couple her new neighbors seemed to be. Far from all the other Newport people, for sure. She'd been surprised about the beautiful, red haired woman and the tall handsome man behind her. Kirsten hoped they would become her friends. They sure seemed like a normal couple, just like her and Sandy.

After Catherine had closed the door, she started to chuckle. "Sorry. Still have to get used to the whole couple thing."

"Yeah, I noticed." Lou dropped himself on the couch and watched as Catherine checked her phone, showing her back to him. She was so pretty, and Lou caught himself staring at her far more often than he should. When Catherine turned around unannounced though, Lou knew he was caught. Catherine raised an eyebrow and said: "I could feel you were staring. What's up?"

Lou cleared his throat. "Well, husbands are supposed to look at their wives right? Just practicing the being in character part."

A small smile appeared on Catherine's face as she shook her head, knowing it was a lame excuse as she turned her attention back to her cellphone, texting Lindsey. She liked Lou a lot and she knew she could be attracted to him if she'd let herself. But they were working a case, and she wasn't supposed to. Besides, she didn't even know that much about the man. After putting her cell phone away she sat down next to Lou and said: "So. That was Kirsten Cohen. She's pretty."

"Yes she is." Lou's comment made Catherine feel slightly annoyed because she was far from Kirsten Cohen. They might be both petite and slim, yet Kirsten was a blonde, with soft, blue eyes and soft features on her face that would tell anyone in the world that she was a nice, sweet woman. Catherine knew she could be a nice woman too; if she wanted to. Her fierceness however was the first thing most people noticed, thanks to the red hair and her eyes that could pierce through anyone's mind.

Lou noticed the silence after his comment but didn't give it any more attention as Catherine said: "The daughter of Caleb Nichol. I guess I should become friends with her, then. Doesn't seem like too hard of a job though."

"I guess that's what we should do, yeah. Just mingle, see how we can get into the inner circle of Newport. I just hope her husband's a nice guy as well."

"I can't imagine he isn't."

Catherine flipped through the file of Caleb Nichol she was holding, wondering if she and Lou were ever able to find out the things Ecklie wanted them to. "Hey Cath?"

She looked up, meeting Lou's greyish eyes and feeling a slight sparkle go through her body. "Yeah?" "I think we should go out for dinner tonight instead of ordering. A husband and wife dinner."

She smiled. "I think that's a great idea. How about you go and find a nice restaurant and I'll go get some groceries? I need food in this place. And wine. I'll be back in a bit."

Lou chuckled and nodded as he watched her walk away, deciding he should go get his laptop to find out some more information about the probably insanely priced restaurants in Newport. 

* * *

><p>Catherine had found an Seven Eleven quickly, pushing her cart through the aisles and colleting all the items she needed. She figured she should've asked Lou what he liked. She didn't have a clue? She decided to at least bring him a six-pack beer and some chips, figuring it was a guy who probably liked both, promising herself that she should ask him about it next time. In less than thirty minutes she got out of the store again, happy to be done that quick and looking forward to her dinner with Lou. The women she'd seen in the store had been so different from the Vegas women. She wasn't sure how she felt about them. Most seemed snobby, wearing way too expensive jewelry with lips that were too plumb and foreheads that didn't seem to move.<p>

Catherine was relieved when she was able to find her new house again without getting lost, now facing the dilemma of how to get all the groceries inside. She opened the back-cover of her SUV and started grabbing the first shopping bag filled with items as she heard a voice behind her. "Hey, can I help you with that?"

She turned around to find a dark-haired man in front of her. The first thing she noticed where the big, black eyebrows above the blue eyes, before seeing a nice smile on a handsome face. Catherine smiled back. "Oh, that would be so nice, thank you."

As the man grabbed both shopping bags –trying not to show he was slightly struggling with the weight- as Catherine opened the door of her house. "So, you're the new neighbor? Kirsten told me about you and your husband, I'm Sandy Cohen."

Sandy brought the bags to the kitchen and Catherine followed him, not finding Lou on their way to it. With a loud bang they ended up on the counter and Catherine smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm Catherine, by the way."

The two shook hands and Catherine had to admit that the man in front of her wasn't only handsome, but also seemed like a nice man. She was positive he and Lou would get along after the first sight.

"Welcome to Newport. I hope you'll enjoy this place, though I have a feeling you're not like most of the newpsies."

"Newpsies?" Catherine chuckled.

"Sorry, my wife hates it when I say that. Makes me wanna do it over and over again though. I'm not originally from Newport, I grew up in New York. Newport's nice, the beach is great, but, well… Not all the people are that great. But you'll find out, and you're lucky to have us as your neighbors 'cause we're definitely not like most people."

Catherine smiled. "Well, I have a feeling that that's a good thing."

At that moment, Lou walked into the kitchen, after he'd heard Catherine talk to a man. When he entered, Catherine decided it was a perfect time to do some role playing as she said: "Hi honey, I was wondering where you were. This is Sandy, Kirsten's husband."

Hearing her call him honey made him smile as he offered Sandy his hand. "I'm Lou, nice to meet you."

"Sandy. I'd love to talk a bit longer but I'm afraid Kirsten's going to cook and I don't want that to happen."

Catherine and Lou both chuckled as Sandy continued. "I honestly think that's the only bad thing about my wife, she's a terrible cook. We'll talk again soon, you guys should come over for dinner some time. Kirsten's not cooking, of course."

"Sound like a great idea to me." Catherine said and Lou nodded. They said their goodbyes to Sandy and walked him out, and after the door was closed again, Catherine said: "Well, now that he mentioned food… I'm starving. Where are we going?"

"I made a reservation at the Breakwater. Don't shoot me if it's awful, according to the internet it's nice."

A chuckle escaped out of Catherine's mouth before she said: "Great. Let me just change my clothes, I'll be downstairs in a second."

Lou sat down on the couch and turned on the television, knowing that it would take Catherine a little longer then a second to change her clothes. She came down fifteen minutes later, telling Lou she was present by saying: "Hey, I'm ready!"

He turned off the television before turning around, a smile appearing on his face as he saw the pretty floral dress Catherine was wearing that came halfway her thigh with a denim jacket on top of it and black heels on her feet. "You look beautiful."

Lou wasn't sure but it seemed as if she was slightly blushing, something that made him smile, as Catherine replied: "Thank you."

* * *

><p>The two had a perfect table in the restaurant, looking over the beautiful sea as they were waiting for their food. What surprised Catherine though was Lou's absence of drinking wine. She decided she should just ask him; after all, she needed to get to know him better.<p>

"Hey Lou? If it's too personal you shouldn't tell me, but I'm just curious, 'cause I figured you'd be either the wine or the beer type. And I know you're driving, is that why you're not drinking? 'Cause if that's the case, you can, I'll just drive."

Catherine was rambling slightly, something Lou knew she did as she was nervous. "No, it's okay. I… I've had a slight alcohol issue in the past. Wasn't too big of a deal and it never interfered with anything concerned my job or stuff, I just… My marriage with my ex-wife wasn't that great. It was awful, actually, a complete disaster. We were so wrong for each other, I just wanted to make things work 'cause she was pregnant. I started drinking to forget about it. That's why I ended up losing custody over my son after divorcing her. It's all been good for a few years now, I mean, my ex and I still aren't on very good terms but I talk to my son frequently, that's more important."

"Ah." Catherine nodded; so she wasn't the only one with a bad marriage. "Well, I guess the beer I bought you wasn't such a smart move either then. Sorry."

"No, no, please, you didn't know. That's fine."

They stopped talking as their food arrived, and after the waiter disappeared again Catherine said: "You know, this is going to sound silly, but… It's a relief to know someone who 's marriage wasn't a success either. No offence. I always felt I was the only loser who had been able to screw up something so bad while it's supposed to be good."

Lou smiled. "It is, isn't it?"

He decided not to ask any more questions. He'd heard some things about her marriage with the man that had died quite a few years ago, but he was sure she would tell him more whenever she wanted to.

They both took the first bite of their food, enjoying it and each other's company, while both were wondering what their stay in Newport would bring to them.


	4. Emerald

**Note: Hi guys! Sorry for taking so long! Here's a new chapter. If you're even reading this, I just want to mention that I'm so happy for the reviews I'm getting and the sweet messages about this story, it means a lot that there are people interested in this. Please enjoy this as well! XX. **

**Chapter 3**

Kirsten started into space with a blank stare. She was supposed to be watching some movie with her very beloved Leonardo DiCaprio but wasn't able to pay attention to it. Sandy had left after dinner again, claiming he had to do some more work. Kirsten knew he was busy with the case that involved her own father, Caleb Nichol. Sandy had just started working as an lawyer for a new company that was having a case against her father, who wanted to build on the Balboa Heights, a part of land above the Balboa Wetlands. The company her dad wanted to do that with, was the one Kirsten was working on as well. Which meant she was actually working against her husband. Who wasn't working on his own either. Sandy was working on that case with a woman named Rachel.

She had never been a jealous woman, but that Rachel annoyed her a lot. The worst part was that she was actual able to pull Sandy away from her. For the fourth night in a row now. And being on her own was harder on her then she thought. She didn't blame Ryan and Seth for going to their friends in the evening. It did make her smile when she thought of those boys. After she and Sandy had taken Ryan in their home to give him a better life, Seth –their biological son,- had changed for the better. Though she'd first been afraid Ryan would have a bad influence on Seth, it turned out Ryan had been able to get Seth something he'd never had; friends. She felt fortunate to have the two in her life and was very happy about that. But she could feel Sandy growing apart from her the more he was working the case against her and her father and it hurt her.

* * *

><p>Kirsten woke up the next morning, realizing she was in her own bed, not knowing how she'd ended up there though. When she turned her head however, she didn't find Sandy. She did find a note. <em>You fell asleep on the couch honey, so I brought you to bed. Leonardo wasn't that interesting, huh? I went to the office, I'll see you tonight. Love you.<em>

It surprised her that she hadn't noticed a thing about Sandy coming home and leaving again. She appreciated his thoughtfulness about bringing her to bed, but was quite upset she hadn't seen him. Kirsten got out of bed with a sigh, knowing there was a long day ahead of her, with her father complaining about Sandy.

When she walked outside after about an hour she spotted her new neighbor outside, just walking outside of her house. Kirsten politely smiled and waved, not sure to go over and talk or continue her way to her car. Catherine, however, did come over and said: "Hey Kirsten! Heading for work?"

The strawberry blonde smiled at the neatly dressed up woman in front of her, awaiting her reply. Catherine suddenly felt so… Normal. Kirsten looked perfect in her light, greyish suite with her silky blonde her, ready to go. She felt a little underdressed in her jeans and red tank top. Kirsten didn't even seem to notice the difference though as she said: "Yeah, long day ahead of me…"

"Where are you working?" Catherine already knew the answer thanks to some of the files she and Lou had, but she nonetheless knew she had to ask it to Kirsten anyway. It would be somewhat weird if she didn't. Kirsten, on the other hand, felt enlightened to talk to someone who didn't know her. Who wasn't aware of who she was, who her father was… "I work at the Newport Group, architecture. It's my father's company."

"Architecture, wow. That's interesting. Must be tough working with your father sometimes though, isn't it?"

Kirsten smiled. "Sometimes, yeah. But, well, you get used to it." She took a quick look at her watch and was sorry to see she had to go to be in time for a meeting. "Catherine, I have to go.. We have a meeting in a little bit. But, you want to grab some lunch?"

Kirsten proposition surprised Catherine, but she of course wanted to say yes. Not only because Kirsten was quite needed for her and Lou's investigation; she also seemed like a great woman. "Sure, that sounds nice. Where do you want to meet?"

"Can you come to the pier? We'll meet in the front of it, near the beach, then we'll go and eat some place there, okay? Around one?"

"Sounds perfect."

The women smiled and Kirsten unlocked her car as she said: "Great! I'll see you later, then."

* * *

><p>It was around twelve when Lou returned to the house again after running some errands and meeting with their FBI contact in town for some extra information. "Catherine?"<p>

"Yeah? I'm upstairs!"

Lou, wanting to share the few things he'd heard from their contact with her, walked up the stairs, surprised to find Catherine in front of a mirror in only her jeans and a black, lace bra with a top on either side of her. Lou felt embarrassed seeing her like that but didn't look away; she was too beautiful to look at. "Cath… I'm so sorry. Didn't realized you were not completely dressed…"

Catherine chuckled when she saw Lou talking while not looking into her eyes. " Yeah well you don't seem to mind…"

Lou figured he was caught and blushed slightly as he looked up in her eyes with a sly grin as he said: "Sorry. I'm a man. What are you doing? Besides, getting dressed."

"I'm trying to figure out what to wear for a lunch date with KirstenTh Cohen."

"Ah… Well… Wear the green one.. Or the blue one."

Catherine tore her head away from the mirror to look at Lou. "Geez. I hadn't figured that out yet. Lou, please.. Kirsten Cohen is like, perfect. I ran into her this morning, she's flawless. I'm going for lunch with her and I don't know what to wear. I don't want to look like Kirsten Cohen's ordinary, sleazy lunch date."

It surprised Lou to see Catherine worry about such a thing. Especially 'cause she didn't need to worry about that at all. "Cath… You're not going to look sleazy, no matter what you wear. You're beautiful and classy and you will be no matter what you wear."

Their eyes met and Catherine's face turned into a soft smile, touched by Lou's words. She put her hand on his shoulder and said: "Thanks, Lou. I really appreciate that."

"It's the truth."

Their faces moved a bit closer as the smile on Catherine's face didn't disappear. Their eyes were still locked as Catherine quietly replied: "Thank you."

Both weren't sure of what exactly they were doing. It was as if they weren't even thinking, just acting out what they were feeling. When a sudden loud buzz however appeared, Catherine almost jumped away from him. Lou cleared his throat, wondering who the hell was calling him on a time like that. When the caller ID showed him it was Ecklie, he grumbled. "What?"

Catherine looked at him with her eyebrows raised and he shook his head. "Nothing, sorry. Hey, I actually came up to update you on some stuff, I don't know if you have time for that?"

"Well, can't we do that this afternoon? I'm kind of… Late."

"Sure. No problem."

Lou was about to leave, knowing their situation was getting slightly awkward when he heard Catherine's voice again. "Lou… Which one do you like the best?"

He turned around and found her with a smile on her face, holding up the two tops she couldn't decide on. He looked for a bit before he said: "You should take the green one. Green looks great on you." Those words were out of his mouth before he even realized it, and when he did, he quickly made his way downstairs again.

* * *

><p>Catherine making her way to the pier mainly consisted out of her thinking about Lou. There was something about the man that she loved, that made her more attracted to him then she could even imagine. Living in a house with him had been interesting thus far. She knew he was glancing at her every now and then. And she loved it. She, on the other hand, did the exact same thing, adoring the bold features on his face when he was paying attention to something, and loving the softness on the other hand when he laughed.<p>

She found Kirsten waiting for her on the pier, and after an apology and a quick walk, they slid down into the boots of a nice and casual diner. "You come here more often?"

Kirsten nodded. "Yeah, I love this place. I'm.. Well, with work, and everything, I always need to do the neat and classy stuff and go to the expensive restaurants. The food here is so much better though."

Catherine chuckled. "Well, glad it is. So… Tell me more about yourself. Feels so weird to sit here with you, barely knowing you, yet feeling.. Well, quite comfortable. In my opinion, at least."

A smile appeared on Kirsten's face. "I agree. It's so nice to have a breath of fresh air in this town in the shape of you and your husband."

The women were interrupted by the waitress, taking their order and leaving again as Kirsten continued. "But, well, let me see.. I have 2 kids in the house, Seth and Ryan. Seth's my and Sandy's son. You met Sandy, right?"

Catherine nodded as Kirsten continued. "And Ryan, well, it's a long and complicated story, but we decided to take him into our home, his parents are… Well, not capable to do so. He's a great kid too though, I'm glad to have those boys in the house. Sandy and I have been married for over twenty years, we met in Berkeley, in college. We intended on staying there for the rest of our lives, but then my mom died and we decided to get back here. Sandy's still not too happy about that, " Kirsten chuckled lightly, "but we're doing good here."

Catherine could tell those last words didn't seem completely true, but she decided to not get into that and smiled. "Must be nice to have those boys in the house… I miss my daughter a lot, actually."

"Ah, you guys have a daughter too?"

"Well, Lou's not her father. I've been married before Lou, and that man is my daughter's father, Lindsey. She's in college in New York now though. She's doing great, but I miss her. It's so quiet sometimes."

"I can imagine. But with the moving you and Lou must be very busy though, so at least you have something on your mind."

"Yeah, we sure do…" Catherine obviously wasn't only referring to the moving, but Kirsten didn't know that of course. Catherine felt guilty for not being honest with the woman, even though it was her job. She sensed she would be having some issues with the lying in the future as well, but Catherine just hoped those feelings would be wrong.

As Catherine and Kirsten got to know each other over lunch, Lou was getting ready for a run. Not only because he loved running and it kept him in shape, it was also to clear his head. Catherine's face had been so close to his only a few hours ago and it was still in his head. The woman was indeed beautiful and classy, and Lou just wished their faces would've been a little bit closer earlier so he could kiss those lips. He wasn't so sure Catherine was feeling that same way though. Lou knew she was a flirt, and maybe she was just being nice?

Lou opened the door, ready to start his run, but instead found a brunette on his doorstep with plumb lips and a dangerously low cut top. He raised his eyebrow and took out the earplugs of his I-pod as he said: "Hi… How can I help you?"

"Hi. I'm Julie Cooper. You're living in my house."

_**Note: Tam tam tam... Julie Cooper's in the house, haha! Hope you all liked this chapter, I'm sorry for taking a while to build up to all the excitement and drama, but don't worry... There will be plenty! Please let me know how you feel about it thusfar! xx. **_


	5. Sweat

****_Note: Hi guys, next chapter! I can't thank you guys enough for being so supportive of this story, I appreciate it so much. If there are any questions regarding the characters, please ask. Some things may be super clear and normal to me since these shows are my absolute favorites, but, well, for you guys maybe it isn't haha! Please enjoy!XX._

**Chapter 4.**

Lou's mouth hung open slightly as he looked the woman in front of him. She wasn't his type. Far from it, actually. But she would definitely be categorized as 'hot'. He wasn't sure what to do though. She'd obviously moved out of the house. Why did she care?

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm Lou Anderson, nice to meet you. I was just about to leave though."

"So I noticed."

The woman named Julie however didn't seem to be moving. Lou slightly raised his eyebrow and said: "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing in particular. I was just wondering who'd moved into my old home. Isn't it a bit big for you on your own though?"

"It's big yes, but I'm not alone. I live here with my wife."

Julie's face seemed to falter slightly as she heard the words wife. Lou saw the wedding ring, or perhaps engagement ring, on her finger though, so he figured he was mistaken about that. What Lou didn't know though was that Julie was interested in every man in Newport. Every good looking man, that was. Julie wasn't an awful woman. In fact, she and Kirsten got along quite well, despite the slightly irritating characteristics she had. One of them being in love with money. Which was the main reason why she was now engaged to Kirsten's father, Caleb Nichol. Lou suddenly realized he had read her name in a file. The soon-to-be wife of Caleb Nichol. Interesting.

"Well, that must be nice. The house is beautiful. Do you mind if I take a look inside?"

Julie was about to step into her former place when Lou blocked her way. Not only did he want to leave, he'd also left some files in the kitchen. Of course, they weren't opened, but he had a feeling Julie wasn't as ditsy as she looked. "You know, I really want to take my run right now, I don't have that much free time. But if you'd like to, you can come over some other time and check it out, then you can meet my wife as well."

"Sounds like a plan. You know, I'll come around another time. Have a nice run."

Julie left as quickly as she'd appeared, leaving Lou behind, slightly confused, as he took off for his run.

* * *

><p>When Kirsten came into her office again after her lunch, she was slightly annoyed to find Julie there already, obviously excited. Kirsten had to admit that she liked Julie. She wasn't too happy with her marrying her dad, but Julie had her good sides. Her ability always take up Kirsten's time when she was busy though wasn't one of those. "Kiks! I'm glad you're here, my god, you've got a hot new neighbor, why didn't you tell me?"<p>

"Julie, please." Kirsten put her purse on the couch and got settled behind her desk as she said: "You're engaged, he's a new neighbor and married. Don't even think about it."

"I'm only saying he's hot, Kirsten, come on. He is, admit it! You've met him, right?"

"I did. He's a very nice man, and, well, yes, he's nice to look at. And so is his wife."

"Is she?"

Julie made a face and Kirsten started laughing. "Well, what did you expect? Yes, his wife is gorgeous. And very nice as well. I just had lunch with her, actually."

"And you didn't invite me?"

Kirsten chuckled at the disbelief in Julie's face. "She's my new neighbor, remember? I'm sure you'll meet her soon enough though… I was thinking about it, maybe we should invite them to the benefit Friday evening? Perhaps it's a good way for them to get to know some people. And for us to get to know them."

Julie nodded, not looking too excited about the idea. In her head, however, she thought the plan was brilliant. She was always interested in some fresh meat. Besides, if the new woman in town really was as gorgeous as Kirsten said, Julie had to meet her. 'Cause no matter what, she was going to be the best looking woman in town. "You know what Kiks, that's a great idea. I'll go over there right now to invite them."

Catherine heard the shower running when she came home, indicating that Lou was under it. She grabbed a glass of juice as she thought about that, slightly embarrassed by her thoughts. Perhaps it was the environment they were in, but Catherine had a feeling there was something going on between her and Lou. And she liked that very much. Her thoughts of Lou in the shower got interrupted when she heard the doorbell ring. Catherine was surprised to find a woman in front of the door she'd never seen. Her age, she guessed. Brunette, tall, pretty. She opened the door with a smile and said: "Hi. How can I help you?"

The woman seemed slightly disappointed as she said: "Oh. Hi. I'm sorry, I didn't expect to see you here. I was here a while ago and met your husband."

Catherine got slightly suspicious as she replied, still with a smile on her face: "Yeah, he's taking a shower now."

"Figures. Well, I'm Julie Cooper."

Their hands met and shook, and as Catherine introduced herself, she thought about Julie's reply. Figures. How would she know Lou was in the shower?

"So, I know we haven't met before, but I was living in this house before you guys did, and I'm friends with Kirsten. And she and I thought it was a nice idea to invite you and your husband to a party Friday evening." Julie handed Catherine an invitation. "It's a benefit, held at Kirsten's place. All details are inside, we'd love for you and your husband to come."

Catherine smiled. "That's very thoughtful, thank you. We'll be there."

"Great. Well, I have to go now, busy, busy, but I'll see you Friday then. Say hi to Lou from me."

"Sure will."

Julie made her way back to the car. Kirsten had been right. That woman was definitely beautiful. Strawberry blonde, beautiful blue eyes, gorgeous figure… That was some competition for sure. Julie however had a feeling the two could perhaps become friends as well. After all, pretty women should unite themselves. In her opinion that was at least.

Catherine watched Julie walk to her car again. Even though Catherine knew that, technically, she didn't have the right, she felt some slight jealousy boiling up inside. She'd read information on Julie; she knew she was supposed to marry Caleb Nichol some time soon. But the way the woman spoke and talked about Lou made Catherine uncomfortable. When she closed the door and walked back to the living room she found Lou sitting there in his sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair still wet. He looked too cute.

"Hey Cath! How was your lunch?"

"It was fun, Kirsten's really nice. Not much information on her father though. What did you do today?" She sat down next to him on the couch, smelling the cologne he'd just sprayed on. It smelled too good.

"I went to the store, bought us dinner. And I went for a run, it's great running on the boulevard."

"Aha, I believe you."

Catherine was about to start talking about Julie when Lou said: "Oh, and I met Julie Cooper. Quite a character, if you ask me."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"You've met her too?"

Lou's eyes widened slightly and Catherine chuckled. "She was in front of her door, like, seconds ago. She gave me this." She handed Lou the invitation. "A benefit, Friday night."

"Ah. Great. Tons of snobby people to be surrounded with."

"Tons of information as well. Oh, and Julie told me to say hi to you… Seems like you've impressed her."

"Well, of course."

Catherine smiled, but Lou could tell she had been slightly upset. "What's wrong? Did she say something offensive?"

"No, no, not at all. It's stupid, never mind. So, what are we eating?"

Catherine was about to stand up but Lou grabbed her arm, forcing her to sit back on the couch. Their bodies where now touching though as she landed a lot closer to him then she'd been sitting initially. "Hey, don't do this. We're husband and wife, remember?"

Lou winked, and his little joke made her smile. "No, it really was stupid.. Julie just made a comment when I said you were taking a shower. I just.. God, it's really stupid…. I thought that, well… I kind of thought that you guys had been having sex. Or something. My God, it sounds even more stupid when I say it out loud."

She expected Lou to get angry with her, but instead, he started laughing. "Cath, please… No, never, definitely not. Where did you even get the idea?"

"I'm sorry. I was jealous, I guess." Those words were out of her mouth before she even realized it and Lou said: "Well, we're not actually married, you know. Would it have bothered you if she and I would've had sex?"

Catherine tried to look away but Lou gently pushed her face back. "Why are you asking?" Catherine was whispering, leaning into Lou's touch slightly.

Lou could tell there was something going on. Something between him and Catherine. And this was his chance to take some action and take a risk. "Well… I know I would be upset if you'd have sex with, say, Sandy Cohen."

"Would you?" Her flirtatious style started taking over again now that she felt he was wanting the same things as her. "I know I would be very upset if you had sex with Sandy Cohen too."

Lou chuckled as Catherine added: "And if you had sex with Julie as well."

Their eyes connected again as Lou slowly moved his hand to Catherine's hips to push her a little closer. He moved his head forward a bit as he said: "You know, I think we should do some practicing. Married couples kiss, right?"

Catherine smiled. "So I've heard." She didn't wait and let her lips connect with his immediately. Their lips meeting caused tons of reaction in her stomach. His lips were softer than most of the men she'd kissed, which was actually a nice surprise. When their tongues started dueling she pushed herself closer to Lou, feeling the warmth coming from his body as they touched. A soft moan escaped from Catherine's lips when they broke apart for a second. Their eyes connected again and they were about to continue when they both felt a buzz coming from Lou's pants. She raised an eyebrow as she said: "Please tell me it's your phone."

"Of course it is."

Neither were surprised when they found out it was Ecklie interrupting their moment together.


	6. Beautiful

****_Note: Hi all, thanks a lot for the sweet reviews again, I never imagined getting the amount I'm getting on this story. This chapter's short and, well, just some nice Catherine and Lou stuff for you all. I hope you enjoy it! x. _

**Chapter 5.**

"Yes, Conrad, we're working on that. But you can't expect us to be friends with all of those people in a few days. Well… No. But Catherine's doing a great job with Kirsten Cohen, we're actually invited to a benefit tomorrow evening. Yes, we will. You know what, how about we call if we find something, and you only call if there's an emergency. Great, Conrad. Bye."

By the time he'd put his phone away from his ear again he saw Catherine sitting on the couch, straightening her clothes lightly while looking at him with a smile. When their eyes met she said: "You wanted to make sure he wouldn't interrupt us again?"

Lou chuckled. "The man has a gift for calling at the very wrong moment."

"I know."

He settled himself next to Catherine again and said: "So… We should talk, I guess."

"Yeah, well, Ecklie kind of ruined my mood of doing anything else for now."

Another chuckle escaped from Lou's lips as he moved closer to Catherine so their bodies were touching as he said: "Figures. Look, Catherine… I… I really like you. At first I thought it was because I was supposed to, you know, the role play thing and all… But it's more than that. You're very beautiful. I love your hair, I love your smile, I love the way you talk… And this may be kind of awkward since we're living together now but I really want to see if we can become something more than just two people working together who happen to like each other a lot."

Catherine smiled and without thinking, moved her hand to his cheek to caress it lightly with her thumb as she said: "I agree… I agree with everything you've just said."

"So you think you're very beautiful, with beautiful hair and a beautiful smile as well?"

She removed her hand from his cheek and slapped him lightly as she laughed, saying: "Oh, you smart ass. You know what I mean. I like you a lot and I'd love to, you know… Get to know you better. On several levels."

Catherine leant in and kissed Lou's lips, soft at first, then rougher. When she was about to move herself onto his lap though, she stopped, breaking their kiss with regret as she said: "I'm going to be fed up with myself later on, but… I think we should go on a real date first. Like, a real, real date, you know. Not a date as Catherine and Lou Anderson."

"And how were you thinking about doing that?"

Lou's eyes were switching between her lips and her eyes as he listened. "I don't know… Maybe not even a date. Just, you know.." Her eyes now focused on his lips too and she completely forgot about the words she was about to utter to the man.

His hands moved to both sides of her face as he said: "I'd love to go out with you, you know that. But I love kissing you too."

"So soon?" Catherine chuckled as their lips met again and when she gasped for a little bit of air she said: "God… Screw that date."

Their lips met in a hungry kiss again. Both knew they had to talk and both knew the kisses wouldn't lead to anything else that evening, but they were all content with each other's company right now.

They woke up the next morning in their own rooms, both smiling as the sunlight woke them up. Catherine didn't get out of her bed immediately though. The first thing she thought about was the benefit she and Lou were going to attend that evening. She knew spending a lot of time together though wasn't going to happen. They both had their own things they needed to take care of. Lou was supposed to mingle with Sandy and hopefully Caleb Nichol himself, whereas she was hoping to get to know both Kirsten and Julie better. A sudden knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she smiled when she found Lou opening it with his elbow so he could carry in a tray with juice, croissants, jam and coffee.

"Hey you."

"Good morning. I made you breakfast. Well, I sort of made it. Consider this the after-the-first-kiss date."

She smiled and said: "That's so sweet of you, thank you."

Lou made sure the plate was settled before pointing to the other side of the bed and saying: "You mind?"

Catherine shook her head. "No, of course not silly."

She patted the place next to her, assuring him she really didn't mind as he settled next to her and made sure he didn't knock the coffee or juice over. "So… I get a good morning kiss now as well?" Lou chuckled after the request but immediately leant in to kiss her rosy lips.

* * *

><p>"So, you think this dress is appropriate?" Lou's eyes roamed over Catherine's body, taking in the dark green dress she was wearing that stopped halfway her thigh. The front wasn't too revealing at all, but the back was opened, revealing her beautiful pale, freckled skin. The colors were in perfect contrast with her gorgeous reddish hair. "It's beautiful and so are you."<p>

She blushed lightly. "Thank you. Looking good yourself as well."

He watched with amusement as she put on some lipstick and started layering her mascara.

"Lou, as much as I would love to just go to a part with you, I think we should make some kind of plan. I know Ecklie wants you to mingle with the men and me with the women… But I have a feeling we should make a little shift."

Lou raised his eyebrow. "Tell me more?"

"I think you should go after Julie… She seemed fond of you. And I'm sure I'll get Kirsten to introduce me to her father. I'll work my charms, you work yours…"

Lou smiled. "Yeah, I guess that's a good idea. Just don't make me jealous."

Catherine chuckled. "Can't promise a thing. Come one, Caleb Nichol, seriously? I may not be young anymore but that man is, like, ancient. Don't worry about that. You're ready to go?"

He shook his head and laughed. "No. Benefits, Jesus, it's going to be awful."

Catherine grabbed her purse and pushed him out of the room as she replied: "Yeah, well, you just have to put your happy face on for a few hours. And remember, free food and drinks."

_Note: That's it for now, guys. Hope you liked it. Next chapter will be the benefit, yay, exciting? What do you guys think will happen? xxx._


	7. Roulette

**Note: Hi all! New chapter! Hope you all will enjoy this one too! X. **

**Chapter 6.**

They arrived at the benefit a while later, both indulged in the complete and utter insanity that were called the people of Newport Beach. They held hands as they entered and Lou whispered: "Cath… What the hell is this?"

She shrugged and didn't reply as her eyes tried to find Sandy and Kirsten. Their house was incredible. So beautiful, so big… The changes that were obviously made for the benefit were beautiful. It was all Las Vegas style, something that made her chuckle. She wondered how much this had cost.

"Catherine, Lou!"

Catherine and Lou both heard Sandy's voice coming from some place in the crowd and Catherine almost jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

The couple turned to find Sandy behind time with a big grin on his face. "Guys, so glad you guys could make it. Normal people, finally."

Chuckles escaped their mouth and Lou was the first to reply. "Well, Sandy, it's nice to see you too."

The men shook hands before Sandy lightly kissed Catherine's cheek. "Please, enjoy this evening. I'm probably hiding half of the time but there's always plenty of things to do… By the way, have you guys met our kids yet?"

Catherine smiled when she heard the mention of kids, not sure what age she should expect though. "No… How old are they?"

"Seventeen, both of the boys," Sandy replied as his eyes were searching around the room.

"They're twins?"

Sandy smiled as he saw the kids, mentioning for them to come over before he said: "No. It's a bit complicated. One of them, Ryan, we took him in… Lousy situation, a mom addicted to alcohol with an abusive boyfriend… He's a good kid though. Very smart, kind-haerted. It's great to have him."

Catherine smiled, happy to see a man so proud of two kids, even if one wasn't his. She smiled an could feel Lou smiling as well when they saw the two guys standing in front of them, realizing it were the guys who'd apparently been checking her out their very first day in Newport. One with blonde hair, muscular, quite handsome and good-looking in his suite. The other guy had dark curls, seemed to be a little skinny but very cute.

"Guys, I want you to meet our new neighbors… This are Catherine and Lou, they live in Julie and Jimmy's old place."

The blonde guy gave Catherine his hand first as he introduced himself as Ryan, whereas the guy with the curls coughed. He mumbled some words, which only Ryan noticed. "We've got a hot new neighbor."

Ryan shook his head when he introduced himself to Lou, as the other made his way over to Catherine. "Hi, I'm Seth, nice to meet you. You like it here?"

Catherine raised her eyebrow as she said: "Not so sure yet, why?"

Seth shrugged. "Nah. Just wait and see."

He made his way over to Lou as Sandy said: "Don't mind Seth, he's too much like me. Doesn't like these things that much."

Thirty minutes later, Catherine and Lou had been introduced to quite a few people from Newport. Most of them didn't seem that likeable, but still. Julie and Caleb however hadn't been in sight yet. The couple found some privacy near the pool where Lou pulled her closer as he said: "Can't we go home? I'd love to get home…"

Catherine chuckled. "You know we can't honey."

"But we've got a lot of things to talk about… And to do, if I may add." He started kissing her neck and she let him for a bit, enjoying his warm breath against her neck before she said: "We have to find Julie and Caleb though. This isn't just one big vacation, you know…"

He pressed his head against hers as he said: "Wish it was."

Her lips were trying to find his again when they heard a high pitched voice calling out their names. Julie.

"Lou! Catherine! You two lovebirds hiding out here, huh! I was looking for you two!" She kissed both of them politely on their cheeks, though Catherine wasn't very pleased with her kissing Lou's. A bit too close to his lips for her liking. She kept smiling though as she replied: "Yeah, we just needed to get out for a bit, it's very warm inside."

Julie nodded in understanding as she said: "I see. Well, I'd love for you two to meet my husband Caleb. Please come with me."

Catherine and Lou nodded. "Sure, we'd love to."

While Julie made her way over to her husband with Lou by her side –chatting and smiling,- and Catherine a bit behind them, Sandy placed his arm around Kirsten's hip as he said: "I think Julie's found a new victim."

Kirsten chuckled. "Can't blame her. I don't think she's going to succeed with him though. Look at the woman he has next to him, Catherine's great."

"Yeah, true. No one can compare to you though." He kissed his wife and she smiled before saying: "Let's go find the boys, I think they're hiding somewhere."

* * *

><p>So that was Caleb Nichol. Father of Kirsten Cohen, husband-to-be of Julie Cooper and owner of the Newport Group and God knows what. Lou eyed the man over his glass, wondering what to think. After he'd been introduced to the man, Julie convinced him to take a look at the roulette table since Caleb didn't feel anything for it. He was more interested in watching Catherine talk to the man though.<p>

Catherine, in the meantime, was listening to Caleb's story of founding the Newport Group. She was suppressing a yawn. Nothing too interesting there. She kept smiling, kept nodding, hoping something interesting would come out of his mouth eventually. "So, Catherine, what is your and your husband's occupation then?"

Catherine smiled. "Well, currently, we're both unemployed. We had a company back in Boston, in marketing. Sold it for an incredible price when we felt the time was right, and decided to move here. I'm originally from California, I really wanted to get back here. So, we're both not doing anything at the moment. I don't think I'm able to keep up with that for too long though, it's quite… Boring, actually."

Caleb Nichol watched the woman in front of him speak as he listened to the words. She was beautiful. Very beautiful. And so different from the other Newport women. Red,long hair, pale freckled skin and a gorgeous slim body. With no breast-implants, as far as Caleb could tell. Very interesting. He nodded as she told him their story before saying: "Well, if you ever need a job, please let me know. Perhaps we could arrange something for you at the Newport Group."

Another smile appeared on Catherine's face as she replied: "That's very nice of you, I'll definitely keep that in mind."

* * *

><p>Two exhausting hours later, Catherine decided it was time to leave. She'd been chatting with Caleb and Kirsten most of the time and she'd been missing Lou quite a bit. Not too many interesting things for their case had come along in the past few hours, and Catherine was definitely considering Caleb's offer. She found Lou near the bar, three blonde barbies surrounding him. Lou looked up when he felt her watching him and smiled as she walked over to him, happy to be saved from the three plastic women that had been talking to him.<p>

"Excuse me, ladies." Catherine made her way around the woman before kissing Lou deeply, their tongues meeting for a few quick seconds before she broke their kiss. She smiled in triumph as the women took off immediately, murmuring their goodbyes before quickly making their way over to some new victims.

"Had fun talking to the barbies?"

Lou chuckled. "Oh, please. Not that many interesting things coming out of their mouths."

He pulled Catherine even closer to him as he said: "So why were you looking for me?"

"I think it's time to leave."

Lou got up immediately, grabbing Catherine's hand as he did and said: "I think that's a perfect idea."

He was guiding her to the door and Catherine chuckled as she said: "We should say goodbye to Kirsten and Sandy, you know. Would be very rude if we didn't."

Lou grumbled. "Okay, fine. But let's be quick."

Catherine smiled and said: "Why are you in such a rush to leave?"

He smiled and leaned into her so he could whisper in her ear: "I really, really want you to take that dress off and sleep in the same bed with me tonight. You're so beautiful and that dress on you, it's just… You're gorgeous. I know you want me to take you out on a date before doing what I can't stop thinking about doing with you, and that's okay. But please, sleep in my bed tonight.."

A big smile appeared on Catherine's face as she wrapped her hands around his neck and said: "You're great, Lou Vartann. Very good with the compliments too, if I may add. I'd love to sleep in your bed tonight." She kissed his lips, lightly at first, before pushing her tongue against his lips, wanting to access his mouth.

**Note: Lousy ending, I know. You'll be rewarded for reading it next chapter though ;). The speed will be up soon, so don't worry if you feel like things are moving too slow, so many people to introduce, you know :). How do you guys liked this one? And what would you like to see in the next chapters? Please let me know! xx.**


	8. Zipper

_Note: Hi guys! Another update here. I just want to again mention that I appreciate the reviews you guys give me so much. I never thought there would be so many people interested in this story, and I'm really glad there are. Please enjoy :) . x_**  
><strong>

**Chapter 7**

Catherine and Lou were in front of their own places a few minutes later. They'd been laughing and as Lou was about to open the door Catherine said: "Shit, I forgot my purse…"

Lou chuckled. "Cath, how can you forget your purse?"

"I must've left it somewhere when I was talking to Kirsten. I'm just gonna go back to get it, I'll be right back."

She was about to walk back when Lou stopped her by grabbing her hand. He pulled her back to him as he said: "Don't be long, okay," before kissing her lips gently. She smiled and nodded before walking back to Kirsten and Sandy's house.

After a quick walk in and out of the house, Catherine had her purse. She got out again and was about to walk to her house when she spotted a girl on the side of Kirsten and Sandy's house, sitting in on the steps in a pretty dress with a cigarette in her hand. Catherine knew the girls was absolutely none of her business, but regardless of that, she felt like walking over to her. The girl looked sad, as if she'd been crying. When the young woman looked up Catherine said: "You should stop smoking, you know… It's a really bad habit, I'm telling you from experience…"

The girl wanted to give a comment about her being none of the woman's business, but decided not to when she took a better look at the woman. She had never seen her before. She was pretty. And, even better, she seemed normal. Something which seemed very rare in Newport these days. "Yeah, well… It's.. Hard, quitting when everyone else is doing it."

Catherine smiled. "I know, I've been there. But.. You know, let me tell you something. What's your name, honey?"  
>The girl raised an eyebrow but didn't feel uncomfortable somehow when Catherine sat down next to her as she said: "I'm Marissa." As Catherine sat down next to the girl, she spotted a glass next to the girl. Looked a lot like whiskey in Catherine's opinion.<p>

"Hi Marissa, I'm Catherine. Listen, I don't know what living in Newport's like when you're a teenager since I just moved here… But I grew up in a place where smoking and drinking was what you did once you turned sixteen. It all feels good an feels like fun, I know it does. Much better then realizing there's something wrong. It's what everyone else does. But once you quit, you'll realize how much better it feels when you're not like everyone else. I don't know how old exactly you are, but I'm a mom too… And I know I would be upset if my daughter was having problems, and instead of telling me, she'd be drinking and smoking to forget about it. 'Cause that's what you're doing now, isn't it?"

Marissa eyed the woman in suspicion as she wondered how to reply. Marissa Cooper didn't like just everyone. But she had been drawn to Ryan the moment she'd met shim, regardless of who he was, where he had been from and what his past had been. Talking to this woman felt somewhat the same. Ryan had been able to figure her out quite quickly after meeting her, and frankly, the woman next to her seemed to be perfectly capable of doing so too. "Well, I doubt my mom would actually bother. But maybe you're right…"

Marissa didn't look like she was planning on talking, and Catherine figured she should leave. There was something about the girl however that made her want to help her so bad. Catherine stood up and said: "Well.. Just think about what I said. And if you're mom doesn't want to help you, you can always come to me. I live right there." Catherine pointed to her house and was surprised when she saw the shocked look on Marissa's face, who said: "You live there? That's my house! Well, it used to be…"

A look of confusion appeared on Catherine's face before she said: "Wait.. You're Julie Cooper's daughter?"

A chuckle escaped out of Marissa's mouth as she saw the confused look on Catherine's face before she replied: "Yeah, unfortunately."

Catherine shook her head and smiled as she said: "Don't say that… You'll appreciate her later, I'm sure about that."

"I doubt that, but I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

"Yeah, you should." Catherine took a last look at the girl before saying: "I'm really gonna go now, my husband's going to think I got abducted or something since I said I'd be back in a minute. But remember what I said… You can always come to me if you feel like talking."

A genuine smile appeared on Marissa's face. "I really appreciate that Catherine, thank you very much."

"No problem."

Marissa watched the older woman walk away while throwing her cigarette on the floor. So Catherine was new in Newport. It was quite obvious, actually. She seemed very different from all the other women in Newport, with maybe an exception of Kirsten, who was one of the sweetest women Marissa had ever met. Quite interesting, in Marissa's opinion. Then again, not too many interesting things were happening in Newport if you asked her. She decided it was time to get inside again, hoping to avoid both Luke and Ryan. Luke was her former boyfriend, and Ryan, well… She wasn't sure what exactly she and Ryan were these days. She knew she was in love with him, and that he was in love with her. But, unfortunately, things were not as easy as that.

* * *

><p>The living room was already dark when Catherine entered the house again. She quickly threw out her shoes and locked the door before making her way upstairs. She was debating whether to get inside of Lou's room or not when she heard him say: "You took your time, Willows. What happened?"<p>

She smiled as she walked into his room and said: "I just met Marissa Cooper… We'll talk about that later though." She turned on the lights, causing Lou to yell as he said: "Geez, what is that good for?"

Catherine chuckled again as she replied with a cheeky smile: "Well… I need some help getting out of this dress. But, if you'd rather sleep, that's fine."

He almost jumped out of his bed when she turned around and said: "Don't be crazy. Come here."

Catherine chuckled before moving her hair away so Lou could reach the zipper. Lou put on hand in her neck before slowly moving the zipper down, revealing more of the freckled white skin every second. It made Catherine smile.

"Lou… Never knew someone could take that long for a zipper."

Catherine turned around and smiled before letting her lips find Lou's, sighing in content when she felt him responding. His hands moved around so he could find the skin he'd just revealed, roaming the soft skin everywhere he could reach her. His lips moved to her neck and Catherine moaned. She wanted him so badly. "Lou… Stop, stop…" Her words weren't too convincing as they were covered in sounds of pleasure coming out of her mouth too.

Lou chuckled against her skin and said: "You really don't want me to stop, do you?"

She sighed and smiled before untangling herself from Lou's hands and said: "No. But date first. Let's do that date tomorrow though." Lou smiled and nodded. "Will do… Now, get out of that dress and come to bed."

"Yeah, I'll be right there."

Catherine walked to her own bedroom to grab some shorts and a top before moving to the bathroom to get out of her dress. Her stay in Newport with Lou had already caused some interesting things, her falling in love with Lou being the most important one. It felt strange to suddenly be in love with someone and actually live with them too. It felt weird, it had been so long since she'd lived with a man. But Catherine had the feeling this would be good. The case would hopefully be solved soon, and then she and Lou could continue what they were building up back in Vegas.

She quickly walked back to the bedroom, where she found Lou waiting for her in bed. She closed the door and turned off the lights, smiling when she crawled into the bed next to Lou. He immediately moved her closer to him and draped his arm around her as he kissed her before whispering: "Good night." "Good night, Lou." It had been long since she'd been in bed with a man like this. Knowing he'd be there too when she woke up the next morning.

* * *

><p>While Lou and Catherine were sleeping soundly, the benefit was still going strong. Sandy wasn't too happy about that though. Yes, he was proud of his wife for throwing a party like this. On the other side though, he hated it that it was his wife doing it. He hated having all those people coming over. Not because he didn't like people, but because he didn't like the kind of people they were. When he saw Kirsten approaching him, Sandy could already tell she wasn't too happy with him. She looked at him and the glass of whiskey in his hand as she said: "Can you please look a bit more as if you're having fun? Or at least just plaster a smile on your face?"<p>

"Kirsten, honey... You know I don't like these kind of things."

"Yeah, and I don't like it that you're acting like this on my benefit."

Sandy hated fighting with Kirsten, but her attitude annoyed him. They'd been married for so long now, yet she still didn't care about his feelings in these situations. He shrugged before saying: "Then I guess I should leave your benefit. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Kirsten followed Sandy's steps with her eyes. She knew her husband hated these kind of things. But she'd just hoped that he would stay until the end and socialize a bit. Just because it meant so much to her. She sighed, knowing she had to continue to make sure things were going smooth no matter what Sandy did. But it did upset her, quite a lot.

_Note: End of chapter! Liked it, hated it? Thanks to VampireGirl88 for giving the idea of Catherine and Marissa meeting, I wasn't sure how to make that fit but I think this was quite a good situation to do so. Please let me know how you felt about it! X._


	9. Love sick

_Note: Hi folks! Sorry for the delay, I've been super busy! Enjoy :) xx._**  
><strong>

**Chapter 8**

Sandy woke up when he felt Kirsten crawling into bed next to him. He looked at his alarm clock, which told him it was almost three in the morning, before turning around to face Kirsten.

"Hey."

"Hey." She looked tired and, unfortunately, Sandy could tell she was also upset. Kirsten was about to turn her back to Sandy to sleep when she heard him say: "Honey, can we talk about this? I'm really sorry for not being so enthusiastic… I just… It's not my thing, and I've been so busy with work. It was just so tiring."

"I know." Her reply was blunt and didn't give Sandy the satisfaction he needed. He wished she'd tell him to stop worrying about it and that she understood. Instead, she said: "I know you want me to tell you it's all good, but just think about me now. How would you feel if you would have been putting effort in something big, show it to me, and I would stand in a corner all night looking bored while drinking whiskey?"

Kirsten told him those words before moving, facing her back towards her husband as she closed her eyes. She didn't want him to answer though. She just wanted him to think. Kirsten loved her husband to death. But he seemed so off lately, working too much and coming home at the weirdest hours. She was afraid her marriage was slowly falling apart, and it scared her.

* * *

><p>Catherine noticed the tingling feeling on her arm before she noticed the morning sun shining through the curtains. She yawned before turning around with her eyes open, looking directly into Lou's greenish eyes. "Good morning."<p>

"Hey, good morning." Lou smiled as he watched the redhead wake up. He knew she wouldn't believe him if he told her, but he considered her to be the most beautiful when she woke up. Absolutely gorgeous. His thumb automatically moved to her cheek and caressed it lightly before he said: "So, I was thinking of going for a run down at the beach… You wanna join me?"

She smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you… I'm going to pass today though, just gonna be lazy this morning. You have fun though."

He chuckled. "Lots of fun, I'm sure. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

Catherine nodded as he leant in to give her a kiss on her lips before leaving the bedroom, leaving her behind with a smile on her face. She kicked the sheets off of her legs and got out of bed, deciding to give Lindsey a call first. Ecklie had told her to contact people from back home as less as possible, just in case Caleb might be noticing something. She couldn't just stop talking to her daughter though; she missed her so much.

She pressed the call button as she walked down the stairs, planning on making some coffee as she heard her daughter's voice on the other end of the line. "Linds? Hey, it's me…"

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later, Catherine had taken a shower and was dressed, ready for another day in Newport. She wasn't sure what exactly she should do though. The case she and Lou were working on hadn't exactly been progressing. She hadn't told Lou yet about Caleb's offer of working in his company. Perhaps it was good way to get closer to the man, though it probably would be a bit difficult considering her lack of knowledge on marketing, which she was supposed to be a pro in.<p>

When she heard the door close with a bang, she started smiling. Her smile grew even bigger when she saw Lou in front of her, sweating but with a grin on his face. Catherine bit her lip and couldn't resist saying: "If we had actually been on a date.. Or more than one, actually.. I would've gone up to take another shower with you."

"You're mean…" Lou stepped closer to her but she stepped back, chuckling as she said: "Don't. I'm clean and dressed, and if you're gonna touch me again I'll be all sweaty again. And no, that isn't going to make me take a shower with you. Go take one yourself, I've got some stuff to talk to you about."

Lou raised his eyebrows. "About the case?" Catherine nodded. "Okay, I'll be back in a bit."

He stood in front of her fifteen minutes later again and said: "Okay, spill."

"Okay." The sat down on the couch as Catherine said: "So, I talked to Caleb last night… There weren't that many interesting things coming out of his mouth, but he did tell me I could call him if I wanted a job. Maybe that would be a smart thing to do? If it's a job I could actually do, of course. Probably gives us a bit more insight on the company."

Lou nodded, while in his head debating on whether he liked that idea or not. He had to admit that it was probably a good thing for the case, as long as it wouldn't endanger Catherine. "I guess it's a good idea.. Why don't you go talk to Kirsten? Maybe she can give you some advice on the kind of job you could do?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. You know, I'll walk over and see if she's home in a bit. Like I said last night, I spoke to Julie's daughter… Pretty girl. She seemed sad though, not too happy with her mom either."

Lou chuckled. "I can imagine, poor girl. How old is she?"

Catherine shrugged. "Not sure.. Sixteen, seventeen? I felt bad for her."

The two were quiet for a while, as Catherine thought of Marissa. It made her sad to realize that the girl actually reminded her of herself. Lou didn't give her that much time though, as he pulled her closer and said: "You know, you should head over to Kirsten… What do you think about going on that date tonight?"

Catherine turned her face so she could see his and said: "I like that thought. You know what, you go think of our perfect date tonight and I'll go talk to Kirsten." She pecked his lips lightly and walked away, leaving Lou slightly stunned behind. Perfect date… That wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

><p>Kirsten was surprised to hear the doorbell ring, not expecting anyone to come over that day. The kids were out and she didn't expect them back for hours. She was happily surprised when she found Catherine in front of the door. "Catherine, hi!"<p>

"Hey! I'm sorry to just drop bye like this, is that okay for you?"

Kirsten smiled. "Yes, of course, please come in… You and Lou enjoyed yourselves last night?"

Catherine decided to not tell Kirsten that in fact, she wasn't too fond on all the people and the amount of money they spend on a night like that, and said: "Yeah. I really appreciated the invitation, it was a perfect way to get to know some more people." She looked around the house while saying so, admiring the beautiful architecture once again. "I adore your house Kirsten, it's incredible."

"Thank you. Would you like some coffee, or tea?"

"Tea please."

Kirsten walked Catherine outside to the pool area, where they could sit in the sun and said: "I'll be back in a bit."

She was indeed, and put two cups of tea in front of them as she said: "So, how are you doing? Are you feeling home already?"

Catherine shrugged, deciding to be honest as she said: "I have to admit it's kinda tough. I like this place a lot, but it's difficult. And, I don't know, I just feel… Bored, a lot of the time. I was used to working a lot and now I've got so much time to fill, I don't know what do with it."

"I can imagine… You don't want to find something hear, then?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. Your father offered me a job at the Newport Group… At the marketing department. You think I'd fit there?"

Kirsten was surprised. Her dad had offered Catherine a job after talking to her for a few hours. It seemed kind of odd to Kirsten, knowing her father. She did however would enjoy having her new neighbor as a co-worker. It would be a delight to have someone like her in their business. Kirsten smiled and said: "I think it would be great to have you there, you'd be a wave of fresh air in the business. I definitely think you should."

Catherine smiled, appreciating the kind words Kirsten'd said. They both enjoyed their tea for a moment, when Catherine noticed the sudden change Kirsten's face had. "Kirsten, you're okay?"

Catherine turned around and found Sandy in the living room, waving at the two women as he was still talking on his phone. When Catherine looked at Kirsten, she was surprised to not find the woman smiling at her. Or her husband. "Kirsten… Is something wrong?"

The blonder woman sighed, watching Sandy walk away as she said: "I'm not sure.. Sandy and I… We're having some slight issues going on, I guess."

She received a sympathetic look from Catherine, who was debating on what to say next. Catherine was afraid of getting too close to the people in Newport. She had to lie about everything; her entire Newport life was fake. Well, almost. But Kirsten almost felt as a friend. Her hand instinctively found Kirsten's as Catherine said: "You wanna talk about it?"

* * *

><p>Lou missed having Catherine around, even though she had only been away for twenty minutes. He felt like a love sick puppy. He figured taking a walk would take his mind off of things. Well, off of Catherine. The case was something he still had to think about. They weren't going anywhere with the case at this point, and even though Lou was perfectly happy with living so close to Catherine, he wasn't sure if they could actually find out more than the department could've. Caleb Nichol seemed to be a smart man.<p>

He spotted some Newport women, making their way towards a beautiful big house while probably gossiping. They were staring at him as he walked bye, but Lou didn't even notice. Lou was absorbed by the view of the beach and the pier. He walked into the direction of the pier, enjoying the glistering, blue water as he did.

When he stood still for a moment he heard a distinct voice he couldn't quite place. As he looked around, he found an almost bald man in a suite, wearing sunglasses, standing not too far away from him. It was Caleb. Lou pretended to enjoy the view as he tried to listen to the man close to him.

"No… Listen, we're not going to do this that way. It's my decision….. I don't care about those men, you do whatever you need to do to get rid of them…. This can't become public, Joe, you know that… I have to go, we'll talk later. Remember what I said."

_I hope you liked it! X_


	10. Sunset

****_Note: Hi guys, new chapter. This one ain't that long but I liked how it ended... If you wanna know if you like it too, I'd suggest you read along, haha! Please enjoy! X._

**Chapter 9**

"Hey! You took long enough…"

Lou looked up when he heard the door close and said those words when he saw Catherine walk in.

"Yeah, sorry… Kirsten and I ended up doing some more talking then job-talk only. She and Sandy are having some issues."

"Really?" Lou was surprised and looked at Catherine, who smiled as she said: "You're not getting any details. What I am gonna tell you though is that Kirsten told me to come to the Newport Group tomorrow…. She told me we could discuss a contract and stuff. We'll talk about that later though. You have to tell me about our date first. What's going to happen?"

Lou sighed, knowing he was going to disappoint Catherine. "Cath, listen…"

"No… Don't tell me you fell asleep on the couch and forgot to do something?"

"Sit." Lou patted on the place on the couch next to him and Catherine raised her eyebrows as she sat down, moving closer to him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Okay, what's going on?"

He let her sit for a bit, smelling her floral scent and vanilla shampoo before he moved her so they could look at each other as he said: "So… I took a walk while you were at Kirsten's. I spotted Caleb on the phone. He didn't see me, but I heard him talk to a guy named Joe, about how something couldn't go public and that he had to get rid of them.. Whoever them may be."

Catherine nodded and said: "Okay. So I guess we should go find a guy named Joe and those people named them, huh…"

Lou nodded. "I'm sorry…. I knew you were looking forward to our date, I did too…"

Catherine shrugged as she stood up. "Yeah, well.. We're here for work after all.. Ecklie would kill us if he knew we would be planning a date right now."

Lou chuckled as he got up as well to kiss her lightly. Catherine smiled, her hand resting on his back as she said: "So… Is it gonna be me or you who will call Ecklie?"

* * *

><p>"Sandy's office, this is Rachel speaking."<p>

Kirsten raised her eyebrow. Rachel, picking up Sandy's phone… She grumbled, immediately hoping the woman on the other end of the line wouldn't hear it. Rachel was the co-worker of Sandy and Kirsten was extremely annoyed with the woman who was always lingering around her husband. "Rachel, hi, this is Kirsten. Can you give me Sandy, please?"

"Oh, Kirsten… Hi. Let me find him for you."

Kirsten heard some mumblings coming from the other room and heard both Rachel and Sandy chuckle. It took quite long before Sandy finally answered the phone. "Sandy Cohen."

"Sandy, hey, it's me."

"Kirsten!" Sandy sounded surprised and Kirsten got slightly suspicious. "Yeah. Look, I just wanted to call you to see if you're home for dinner."

Sandy didn't immediately reply, and Kirsten swore she heard small voices on the other side of the line before she said: "You know what, never mind."

"No, Kirsten, wait. I… It's just that it depends on this client coming in later on."

"Yeah, never mind. I'll see you later, Sandy."

* * *

><p>"Yes, we're at the house. Well, perhaps we can find it in our computer. Yeah, we'll do our best… Yes, we'll call you when we find something. Bye, Ecklie."<p>

Catherine hung up as Lou looked at her with a smug smile on his face. Catherine sighed before she mumbled: "I'm never gonna play rock, paper, scissors with you again if we have to decide who's going to call Ecklie."

"Told you not to mess with me."

She couldn't hide a chuckle anymore as she eyed the man sitting on the couch. He looked good. She had to admit it was weird though, living in a house with the man she was falling in love with… Things went fast and it was scary, yet a lot of fun. Catherine walked to the table, grabbing her laptop and a few papers as she said: "So, Ecklie told us to search the system for a guy named Joe, they don't have anything on a Joe in their files. Not even a guy named Joe, actually."

Catherine turned around as she sighed and said: "So far for the two of us going out on a date, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Cath.."

"No, no, this isn't your fault. Besides… It would be nice to finally head somewhere with this case, 'cause it isn't going anywhere at all."

"Have you met your neighbor yet?" Marissa looked at Ryan, curious to see how Ryan felt about the woman next door.

Ryan shrugged. "Is that what you're here for? Asking me how I feel about the new neighbors?"

Their eyes connected for a bit, causing Marissa to look away. Being just friends with Ryan was hard, especially knowing her feelings and his were still the same. It was quite obvious they were both still in love. "I… It's weird, other people living in my old house."

Ryan was about to reply when a knock on their door interrupted them and Kirsten's head appeared around the door: "Ryan, dinner's ready… Hey, Marissa. Dinner's ready.. You're staying for dinner too, Marissa?"

"Oh no, no.. I just.. I actually came to give you this, Ryan." She handed him one of his shirts, both sharing a look that didn't seem as if either one was happy with their current situation. Marissa felt awkward, especially with Kirsten watching them. "Okay, so, I'm just gonna head out.. I'll see you later, Ryan. Bye, Kirsten."

Ryan watched Marissa walk away, as Kirsten looked at him watching the girl. Their eyes connected and Kirsten said: "If you still love her, you should tell her."

"Marissa and I aren't that easy…. She isn't. Well, I'm not either."

Kirsten smiled. "I know. That's what's most important though."

Ryan nodded, appreciating the woman trying to help him as he said: "I wish we were like you and Sandy. Then again, it would kind of ruin the element of surprise."

Kirsten again smiled as the younger man passed her. She knew he tried to be kind with those words, but they were in fact kind of hurting her. Things were indeed supposed to sail smooth between her and Sandy, they always had. But he wasn't home for dinner that night and Kirsten was getting suspicious. She hated that but she couldn't help it. Kirsten was afraid her marriage was slowly crumbling down, and she didn't like admitting it, but it scared her.

* * *

><p>"Lou, where are you taking me?"<p>

"Just wait, hold my hand, okay?"

Catherine chuckled. Lou had blindfolded her and was holding her hand as they walked into a direction that was unfamiliar to her. They had been trying to find a guy named Joe all day. Searched first names, second names, people that had been working with Caleb in the past or present… Not a single hit had been up thusfar. It had been frustrating for both of them and Catherine had been quite annoyed. She had already been in her sweatpants and tank top when Lou had handed her a hoodie and told her to get up because he had a surprise. She had refused initially, but eventually she'd given in. They had been walking for a while now and she was getting impatient.

"Okay watch your step… And now just sit down."

She did as he told before she heard him move behind her and say: "You're ready?"

"Ready for what?"

She felt him remove the scarf that had been in front of her eyes and she squeezed them lightly, adjusting to the light as she found herself on the top of a hill, looking over the beach, watching the sun fall down slowly. Catherine smiled and turned around to talk to Lou when he slid down behind her, his legs on either side of her as he said: "I know this isn't a fancy dinner in a beautiful restaurant and stuff…. But I wanted to give you your date. Not because I can't wait to have sex with you, but because you really wanted it and I wanted to give it to you because you deserve it. This is cheesy, I know… But I bet you've never seen a sunset on the beach."

"Lou… This is beautiful. This… This is perfect. I couldn't have wished for anything better."

Her eyes lit up as Catherine listened to him and eventually spoke those words, completely satisfied with the state she was currently in. She leant in and kissed Lou, their tongues meeting for a short while until she broke the kiss around and turned, her back resting against Lou's chest and his hands around her body, watching the most beautiful sunset she'd ever seen.

_Note: So... Did you like it? Haha :) I sure hope you did! xx._


	11. The Move

**_Note: Hi folks! Sorry for the long wait, I've been super busy! Chapter isn't that long but I hope you'll like it anyway! Just a warning, it's partly kind of M-rated. Just in case you hate that, be aware to skip a little bit ;-). Enjoy! X._  
><strong>

**Chapter 10**

"So, this will be your desk… You're right across the hall of me, so that is great. I'll show you everything you need to know later on, you just get settled in your office. I'll be back in fifteen minutes okay, I just need to make a phone call." Kirsten smiled as the strawberry blonde looked around the room. She was excited to have Catherine as her co-worker now.

"Thanks, Kirsten. I'll be fine, you go ahead." Catherine smiled and watched Kirsten walk away before she started the MacBook on her desk. A complete, new, perfect looking MacBook. A gift from Caleb for her as his new employee, completed with every single program she needed for the office.

She was slightly apprehensive of her work at the Newport Group. The department back in Las Vegas gave her a huge amount of things to study just to at least have some capabilities regarding marketing, but she was still scared. What if she was completely horrible? Thank God Kirsten was there to make her feel better.

Catherine hoped she would be able to find out more about Caleb while she was working there. Their case was moving forward bit by bit, but they weren't anywhere yet at all. She started to miss Las Vegas. But at least she had Lou there. He was such a great guy. Not only sweet and fun… Very handsome as well. Catherine turned on the computer as her thoughts moved to the case. She hoped to find out something more interesting today. She hoped taking a job doing something she loathed would give her a lot more information about Caleb Nichol and his dirty business.

* * *

><p>"Hi babe…. How was your first day?"<p>

Catherine chuckled as she leant in to kiss Lou briefly before she said: "Babe? That's my least favorite nickname, so far."

Lou chuckled as well. "Sorry."

He continued cooking their meal that evening – an Indonesian curry with chicken,- as he said: "Tell me about your day?"

Catherine shrugged. "It went okay, I guess. Not a sight of Caleb though. I tried asking some things about him to Kirsten, but it didn't give me anything usual. But on another note, I didn't do as awful as I thought I would; turns out marketing is something I'm actually quite good at."

Lou smiled. "I knew you would be fine! Grab some plates, okay, dinner's done!"

* * *

><p>She felt his hardened member against her thigh as she sat on his lap, eagerly kissing his mouth as her hands ran through her hair. She was so ready to sleep with him. Lou's hand moved down to the hem of her skirt as he broke their kiss and said: "God, that skirt…" He moved his lips to her neck, a load moan escaping from Catherine's mouth as his hands moved her skirt up, caressing her inner thighs. His hands briefly touched her most private part, making Catherine whimper. "Lou… Please…"<p>

He bit her earlobe lightly before he said: "Please what?"

"Please…. Make love to me."

Her words were immediately rewarded with his lips attacking hers before he lifted her up and carried her up the stairs, making their way to one of the bedrooms. The closest one, that was. He gently laid her down on the bed as he took off his shirt and jeans in a rapid movement before crawling back on top of Catherine, moving her skirt down as she worked on the buttons of her blouse. Without any warnings, Lou's lips moved to her inner thighs, causing Catherine to squirm as she bucked against him. "Jesus, Lou…"

He moved himself up again as he kissed her before he whispered: "You're so beautiful…" He unclasped her bra before moving back to her panties again. Lou looked up once, wanting to make sure she was okay with what he did. All he saw was utter delight and pleasure on Catherine's face, which was enough for him to continue. He pulled her panties down and quickly pressed his lips against her most private part, again causing her to squirm.

Catherine wanted him. Now. He knew exactly what to do and how to do it, and it made her feel utterly content and excited. When his tongue met her clit she bucked against his head, her hands in his hair as she tried to breath normal while saying: "Lou, please… Inside me."

Though Lou found himself definitely enjoying what he did, he decided to do as she told him. Her hands moved to his boxers, pulling them down before he trusted inside her. "Jesus…" He felt good. He felt so good.

* * *

><p>"Kirsten, can we talk?"<p>

Sandy looked at his wife who was curled up on the couch, watching some kind of ridiculous chick flick. They still hadn't made any progress in their somewhat-arguments that had made them fight.

"I'm watching, Sandy…"

He grabbed the remote of the television and turned off, earning an irritated glare of Kirsten in response.

"Kirsten… What is going on? I know you're still upset with me and I think we should talk about this. What is bothering you?"

She sighed. Kirsten didn't want to have this conversation right now. Yes, she was still upset with him for spending more time with his work than her. But she hadn't planned on bugging him about it again that night.

"Sandy, let's not do this now."

"We're going to do this now, honey. We're drifting away from each other… I can feel that too, you know."

Another sigh escaped from her lips. "Sandy… It just seems as if… As if you're married to your work and Rachel instead of me. That woman has a crush on you Lou, and it bothers me. It bothers me that she picks up your phone. That you're laughing with her instead of me. I'm jealous… And I have a feeling I have the right to be."

Sandy looked at his wife. She was so pretty. He wanted to tell her she had nothing to worry about. That he loved her, her only. But he and Rachel had become so close over the last few weeks. He knew he was doing Kirsten wrong when he was staying late at the office, eating dinner with Rachel instead of her… Did that mean something?

"Kirsten.. I… You know I love you… Maybe we should just… I don't know.. Make some more time for each other.. Like we used to?"

Her eyes were getting teary as she said: "Isn't that something you're supposed to do anyway? Something you should always do? Not just because there's a feeling of drifting away from each other?"

Sandy shrugged. She had a point. He hadn't been prepared for her next question though. "Sandy.. Have you…Have you and Rachel done anything you shouldn't have?"

His eyes almost popped out of his head. "Are you serious?"

"I'm just asking, Sandy. Yes or no."

He stood up, enraged. Did she honestly think he would cheat on her? "I… I can't believe this. You're really asking me this?"

Sandy didn't even wait for her reply as he stormed out of the house, away from his wife. This had been unexpected. And it hurt him that she thought he would actually be capable of doing something like that.

* * *

><p>Catherine woke up the next morning from the doorbell ringing. She was enlightened when she realized she was still in Lou's arms. She just wished she could enjoy it a bit longer, but she knew that Lou would wake up then too. Since she had to get out in thirty minutes anyway, she figured she'd hurry her way over to the door. She threw on one of her silky, green robes. One that wasn't exactly appropriate for someone to see, but she figured it would be Kirsten at the door. Who else would it be?<p>

It was a surprise when she found someone on her doorstep she hadn't seen before. A man, her age, dark, short curls. Friendly face. His mouth hung open slightly though when he saw her, and Catherine immediately regretted the robe.

"Uhm.. Hi."

The man repacked himself as he said: "Sorry for staring. Just… That robe… Sorry. Ehm, I'm Jimmy. Jimmy Cooper. I don't think you're Julie's new love interest so I assume she really did sell the house. I'm so sorry for waking you up."

The man's rambling made Catherine chuckle slightly as she held out her hand. "No problem. I'm Catherine. Catherine Anderson. You're Julie's… Ex-husband?"

The man nodded and Catherine smiled. He must be Marissa's father then. "Yeah… I just needed to talk to her for a bit about our daughter, but I've been gone for a while. Didn't expect her to actually sell the house, the kids loved it."

"I'm sorry.."

Jimmy shook his head. "No, please, not your fault. I'll just go to Caleb's place then, I'm sure she'll be there then. Sorry for waking you up."

"No problem. Have a nice day."

"You too."

Catherine returned to the bed with a small smile on her face. That had most definitely been interesting. She told herself to remember the man's name as she hadn't yet informed herself about him. Perhaps he would be able to help her case?

When she crawled next to Lou in bed he stirred slightly before he said: "Where were you?"

He nuzzled her neck as she said: "I'll tell you later… We have thirty minutes before I have to get up…."

Jimmy was furious as he walked back to his car. So typically Julie to not inform him about the moving. He however didn't mind meeting the new woman of the house. She hadn't been wearing a ring, and he wondered if she lived in the house on her own. That Catherine was gorgeous. And those legs… He shook he thoughts of the woman off of him. He first had to be angry with Julie. He was beyond pissed for her not letting him know anything about the move.

_Note: That's it for now. Just to set things straight a little bit; in The O.C, Jimmy definitely was aware of every single thing that happened between Caleb and Julie. I just needed a good reason for him to meet with our CSI's, haha ;-)! X_


	12. Lunch Date

****_Note: Hi guys! New update! Sorry for taking so long, I hope you'll like it! xx._

**Chapter 11: Lunch date. **

"Hey! So, Greg managed to find out some more information on that guy Caleb had been on the phone with. His real name's Jonathan Edwards. According to some informants and the FBI, Edwards has been an employee of the Newport Group for years. Have you heard his name around yet?"

Lou's excited voice on the other end of the phone almost made Catherine chuckle. He was quite excited to finally have some real information on their case, though there was still the question of whether it as useful information or not. "I haven't. I can look it up though."

"Look up what?"

"Jesus, Lou…"

"Ah. You're not alone. Of course. Well, I assume you mean you can look him up in some kind of system?"

Catherine smiled. "Exactly. Let me see." She scrolled through her desktop, looking for the file that would tell her exactly who worked where. Kirsten had been showing it to her on her first day, in case she would need information from another department. She scrolled and scrolled, and was about to give up when she indeed found a J. Edwards. He worked at the –how typical,- financial department of the Newport Group. "I've got it. I'll see what I can do today, okay?"

"I know you will… Are you free for lunch? I'll pick you up at twelve-thirty, if you want to?"

"Sounds perfect, I'll see you later then."

"Okay, Cath, I'll pick you up, love you." Lou hung up his phone before Catherine could reply and left her stunned behind her desk. Did he just tell her he love her? That was… Intense. Catherine knew she'd been thinking about those words a lot lately. And though she had to admit that her feelings for Lou were much deeper than just 'liking' him, telling him she loved him hadn't really been on her mind yet. It scared her that he'd uttered those words so easily to her.

Her mind kept spinning as Kirsten entered her office, knowing she had to get her work done. Kirsten didn't look too good though and Catherine said: "Good morning! You're okay?"

Kirsten shrugged. "Good morning. That's a long story… Just… Still some issues with Sandy. I don't really feel like talking about it though, it kept me awake all night. Let's just get started for today, we'll discuss it later." A small smile appeared on the blonde's face, indicating she really didn't want to talk about it, as Catherine said: "Sure, no problem…"

'So, I want you to check out some things for our next campaign. My dad always tells me we don't have a budget, but I want you to check how much we can spend to promote the newest apartment complexes we're currently building. Could you go over to the finances department to ask them? I'm sure we've got the information in our papers here as well, but I want to hear it from them."

As if Kirsten had known what Catherine needed; this was absolutely perfect. She nodded. "Sure. Who should I be asking for?"

"Edwards. Jonathan Edwards."

Catherine could almost squeal out of excitement. Finally, some action. "Okay, I'll be right back."

She got up and made her way over to the elevators, knowing she had to get down to the second floor. She was quite curious for that Edwards. Most of all though, she wondered if she would even be able to get anywhere. If the man was simply doing his normal and legal job while being in the company, there wasn't anything she could do. But if he was in any way involved in the shady business of Caleb Nichol –which definitely seemed to be the case,- things would probably be interesting. Catherine reached the second floor and went over to the receptionist's desk. "Hi, I'm Catherine Anderson, I just started working here, marketing. I'm looking for Jonathan Edwards?"

The brunette behind the desk looked at her, not even showing a smile as she said: "He's free. Second door to the right."

She quickly walked over to the door, knocking immediately. A heavy voice yelled out a harsh "Yes,", which made Catherine jump slightly, before she stepped inside.

She was surprised when she saw the man in the office. Catherine wasn't quite sure what she'd expected, but definitely not this. If this indeed was mister Edwards, he was probably not even thirty yet. Beautiful, blonde curls, piercing blue eyes and, underneath his suite seemed to be a very muscular body. She smiled sweetly at him as she said: "Hi, I'm Catherine Anderson. I just started working with Kirsten… Cohen. And she asked me to check some numbers with you for our newest campaign."

Catherine could tell he was looking at her from head to toe, not sure if that was the cause of the sudden chills she got. Despite the man being gorgeous, he did give her an slightly uncomfortable feeling. He eventually smiled at her and offered her his hand as he said: "Hi, Catherine. I'm Jonathan. Kirsten has asked me about it, sit down please, than we can look at it together."

* * *

><p>"Kirsten, hey!"<p>

A smile appeared on Kirsten's face when she found Jimmy in front of her; he'd been gone for a while now, and it definitely was a surprise to see him. "Jimmy!" She made her way over to him and hugged him. "You're back again? It's so great to see you!"

Jimmy let go of his oldest friend and smiled at her. It was always great to see Kirsten. The two of them had been in a long relationship before Kirsten had ran into Sandy and he'd made Julie pregnant. They'd always stayed friends though, something he was very grateful for. "Yeah, I decided to see Marissa and Kaitlin… It's… Hard, without those girls. Even though they can both be a pain in the ass as well."

Kirsten chuckled. "I bet."

Jimmy was about to talk again when Catherine walked into the office again, oblivious to the man as she said: "Hey! I printed everything and faxed it to Edwards. I'm gonna go out for lunch in a bit, is that okay?"

"Sure, no problem. Catherine, I'd like you to meet my former neighbor, the owner of your house before it was yours, and my best friend… Jimmy Cooper." Kirsten pointed to Jimmy and Catherine smiled.

"Oh, hi! We've actually met this morning." She gave Jimmy a smile and he nodded as he stared. A black pair of pants and a white blouse, and the strawberry blonde still looked as if she'd walked straight out of a magazine. He cleared his throat before he said: "Yeah, I wasn't exactly aware of Julie moving out… That's what I came to you for, actually."

"Oh… Well, I have time now."

"Good."

Catherine grabbed her purse, unaware of Jimmy's stare and said: "I'll be back in an hour, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. Enjoy."

"You two as well." She flashed them both another smile before making her way to the elevator, knowing Lou would be there in a few minutes. Although she'd been working hard that morning, his words of affection were still on her mind. And they were still making her nervous.

Meanwhile, Kirsten could tell Jimmy was staring at Catherine like crazy. She chuckled when he finally turned his head back to face her and said: "I have to disappoint you, Jimmy, she's very married."

Though he was indeed disappointed, Jimmy decided to joke around about it as he said: "Well, if she'd as much married as you are I definitely have no chance in hell." When he saw Kirsten's jaw straighten though, he knew his words weren't very much true. He placed his hand over hers as he said: "Hey… What's going on?"

Kirsten shrugged before she quietly said: "How… How do you know if your husband's cheating on you?"

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Lou was just about to enter the building of the Newport Group when Catherine came outside.<p>

"Hey, just in time. I figured I'd come outside."

"Yeah, sure." Lou kissed her lips, loving her scent. Catherine was happy when she realized she still loved his kiss. When she thought about the words he'd told her earlier though, her mood became a bit darker. Why had he been telling her that?

"Where do you want to go?"

Catherine shrugged. "I'm okay with everything… There's a good diner around the corner."

Lou nodded and grabbed her hand, walking into the direction Catherine had been pointing. They both enjoyed a quiet walk in a little summer breeze and after they'd sat down and ordered their food a few minutes later, Lou said: "So.. You've got something about the call I gave you?"

Catherine nodded. "Yeah, but I think we should discuss it at home… You never know who's listening."

"Right…" Lou looked at Catherine, who was staring at something outside of his view. There was something odd about her behavior, though he couldn't really put his finger on it. He put his hands over hers to grab her attention and was slightly concerned when she flinched at his touch.

Catherine was cursing herself for flinching. Why the hell had she been doing that? Everything was fine. Except of course his "I love you". She wasn't even sure why she was so upset about that. She definitely adored him; was it that bad that he told her he loved her so soon?

"Cath, you're okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She sipped from her drink, staring at him in all innocence as he replied: "You tell me."

She sighed before muttering: "You kind of caught me off-guard when you told me you loved me on the phone this morning…"

"Oh…"

Catherine waited for him to speak and was surprised he didn't. "Aren't you supposed to say something now?"

Lou shrugged. "I don't really know what to say… I'm not gonna say I'm sorry… I meant it."

"You did?"

Her blue eyes pierced through his as he said: "Of course I did… Why wouldn't I?"

"Because… Well, because it's all so fast… It scares me."

Lou looked at Catherine, still not sure what to tell her. So… It scared her that he loved her? That kind of caught him off guard. "Catherine, I don't know what you want me to tell you. I… I can understand that this is perhaps a bit fast, but I can't help telling you how I feel. I'm sorry for.. Well, scaring you. I just don't really understand why this is all so scary for you."

Catherine bit her lip. Perhaps a lunch of an hour wasn't that ideal to talk about all of that. Eddie alone could fill about a month of talking. "Lou… I don't think we should discuss this over lunch."

"Then how do you expect me to not be offended? It kind of hurts that you're not willing to say those words back." Lou's temper started playing parts. Yes he adored her. But was it hurtful to not hear her say those words back? Of course. He got up from the table as he grabbed his wallet and said: "You know what, I'm gonna go. We'll talk about this later."

"Lou, wait…" She grabbed her purse and got up as well, following him outside as she said: "I didn't mean to get into an argument about this, I'm sorry." She ran over the street, getting close to the Newport Group again as Lou turned around and yelled: "It's fine, Cath… We'll talk about it later."

"Lou…" Catherine stopped walking as she saw him taking off, walking away from her. She sighed. She didn't mean to evoke some kind of argument. She was about to walk inside again as she spotted Jimmy who smiled as he said: "That's your husband?"

Catherine flushed slightly; this must've looked great. "Yeah… Sorry 'bout that. We're usual in perfect… Harmony."

Jimmy chuckled. "No problem. Have a nice day, Catherine."

"You too."

_Note: That's it for now, please let me know if you like it! X_


	13. Sushi

****_Note: Hello there people... Remember me? And this story... I've been busy for ages now and did everything but writing, but I was looking a the statistics on my profile yesterday and realised this story was in the top, as in, one of the most-read stories every month... And I was quite surprised, to be honest. I never expected this story to actually be somewhat popular, but since I did love writing it, I decided to try and start this thing again. This chapter's not too long but I nevertheless hope there are still people enjoying it :) ! X_

**Chapter 12: Sushi**

Kirsten could tell something was up with Catherine when she walked into the office again not even twenty five minutes after she'd left. She looked up at the redhead and said: "Your date cancelled?"

"No… " Catherine sighed. She wished she could just tell Kirsten the actual truth about her and Lou and their still developing relationship. Instead of doing so though she said: "Lou was supposed to meet me for lunch but we got into this argument about, well, nothing…. I think the moving was harder on us than we'd thought it would be."

Kirsten gave her friend a sympathetic smile as she said: "I understand… It's quite intense to move to such another place."

"Yeah…" Catherine wanted to ditch the subject as fast as she could and said: "How are things between you and Sandy?"

Kirsten sighed. "I'm not sure he's even gonna talk to me again. I… Well. I asked him if he'd been doing… Things, with Rachel yesterday. He stormed out of the house and, well, we haven't really talked since. He gets home late and sleeps on the couch and is gone when the sun rises again it seems. I can't believe this is actually happening to us…"

"I'm sorry, Kirsten.." Catherine couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman, knowing what it was like to be cheated on. She hoped it was all a mistake; Catherine was actually quite fond of Sandy from what she'd seen of him so far and he and Kirsten made a perfect couple. Catherine knew she wasn't supposed to care too much for anyone she would be meeting along the road in her investigation. She suspected though that it would be hard not caring about Kirsten; she really liked the blonde woman standing next to her.

* * *

><p>"Hey… I brought sushi…" Catherine slowly walked towards Lou, who was sitting on the couch, after dropping her keys on the kitchen table. He didn't tear his eyes away from the television as he said: "Good for you."<p>

She sat down next to him, careful not to get too close to him as she could tell he was still upset with her. "Is it later already? We should do some talking… Or maybe I should."

Lou turned his head to finally face Catherine. "Yeah…"

Catherine emptied the plastic bag with sushi and handed Lou his portion, guessing he would eat it if she would give it to him before saying: "It's a long story. I don't want you to think that I was upset because I don't care enough about you… If there's anyone I would want to be in a house with for a case it would be you. It's just that things have been… Tough, in the past. Lindsay's father was far from the perfect man and ever since I've been hanging around with douchebags.. Until I met you."

Lou popped a piece of sushi into his mouth as he looked at the redhead, his eyes softer than before. "I'm not sure how to respond… I…"

"No, no wait.. There are so many things I would want to tell you but I don't think I should do that now… I'm not used to men being so… Kind, so honest… I'm not used to men like you and I'm sorry for acting like I didn't care. I do."

Lou knew he was a sucker for the pretty woman in front of him. He'd been angry all afternoon, but the honesty in Catherine's face and the glistering in her eyes showing her soon to be fallen tears made him melt. He moved closer and whispered "Come here…" before hugging the redhead.

* * *

><p>Although the air wasn't completely cleared yet between the two colleagues, things seemed to have turned around pretty fast after their sushi dinner; they were now curled up on the couch, watching a movie neither of them was paying attention to as Lou said: "You still have to tell me about that Jonathan Edwards.."<p>

"Oh right, of course! Well… Funniest thing happened today, I was asked to go over to the financial department and talk with a man, Jonathan Edwards… Apparently, he is head of finance for the Newport Group. The man was younger than I expected… Tall, blonde… Quite handsome, even. But as a head of finances, I'm sure he can do some interesting this with money that he shouldn't be doing."

"You're thinking him and Caleb are the masterminds in the murders and crimes thusfar?"

Catherine shrugged. "I'm not sure… I am sure though that Caleb Nichol and that man have to be working together… It's impossible for Caleb to do anything financially without consulting that man."

* * *

><p>Jonathan Edwards' cigarette was almost finished and he was ready to put up another one. Things were getting dangerous. More and more people were after Caleb Nichol, and, at the same time, after him. Jonathan had never done business the honest way; some scheming and some shady meetings had been involved from the moment Jonathan had started working. Things had been for the worse since he started at the Newport Group though. He wasn't sure how exactly he ended up in the web of lies that Caleb Nichol's company was, financially at least.<p>

The money was addictive. Jonathan wasn't sure he would be able to without the money he'd been surrounded with the last couple of years. The threats were getting worse though, and Jonathan wasn't sure who was behind them, even worse, the amount of people that were behind him.

When his phone rang, he immediately answered. "Caleb, Jesus, you took your time….. I honestly don't care. Listen to me, things are only getting worse.. I still haven't figured out who exactly is behind those threats and my men can't find any more information than we do. Do you honestly believe it is smart to continue this streak? … I'm not backing out Caleb, I'm just thinking about what is smart… We can't have this one go wrong. Caleb… These people aren't joking around… Caleb!"

The phone on the other end was dead and Jonathan threw the damn thing away. Caleb was a stubborn man; a man who believed he could do anything and everything, and get away with all of it.


End file.
